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FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5154
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RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 0953
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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 001214 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/04/2016 
TAGS: PGOV ECON EFIN BA POL ECTRD
SUBJECT: FINANCES, FAST TRACK, AND FISTICUFFS:  BAHRAIN'S 
LOWER HOUSE PASSES BUDGET 
 
Classified by Ambassador William T. Monroe for reasons 1.4 
(b) and (d). 
 
------- 
Summary 
------- 
 
¶1.  (C) The lower house Council of Representatives (COR) July 
2 approved a BD 3.79 billion 2007-08 two-year budget 
following the government's invocation of a fast-track 
procedure that required the COR to act within 15 days of 
receiving the draft bill.  It now moves to the upper house 
Shura Council, which also has 15 days to act.  The 
government's decisions to use the fast-track procedure and to 
submit the budget during the current parliamentary session 
rather than the next session following elections in the fall, 
attracted a great deal of controversy.  The government likely 
sought to benefit in several ways.  The current COR members 
have more experience in the budget process than those newly 
elected members will likely have, the coming COR is expected 
to have greater representation from the opposition, and 
consideration of the budget would be greatly delayed while 
the new parliament is constituted.  According to MP Jasim 
Abdul Aal, current members went along with the government 
because the budget contains increased funding for social 
services, which MPs will be able to claim credit for during 
their campaigns.  Debate over the budgets for the Ministries 
of Defense and Interior was heated, with two MPs moving from 
verbal jabs to physical blows.  The fast-track procedure at 
least temporarily shifted power from the legislature to the 
executive on fiscal issues and could serve as a precedent for 
future budget submissions.  End Summary. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Budget Passes COR with Bare Majority 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) The elected lower house Council of Representatives 
July 2 voted in favor of the proposed BD 3.79 billion ($10 
billion) 2007-08 two-year government budget after a bruising 
fifteen days of votes, debates, questioning, and 
confrontations.  The vote was 18-Yes, 8-No, and 6-Abstain, 
with the bill winning approval by just over a majority of the 
32 deputies present.  The bill now moves to the upper house 
Shura Council. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The government delivered the budget to the COR on 
June 17 as an "urgent" bill, a status requiring action within 
15 days of receipt by each of the two parliamentary chambers. 
 Article 87 of the 2002 constitution states, "Every bill that 
regulates economic or financial matters, and the Government 
requests its urgent consideration, shall first be submitted 
to the Chamber of Representatives so that it takes a decision 
on it within fifteen days."  The article contains similar 
language for the Shura Council.  Use of Article 87, a 
"fast-track" procedure, is new; it was first used in May to 
expedite approval of a series of intellectual property rights 
laws that were required for implementation of the 
U.S.-Bahrain free trade agreement. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Controversial Use of Fast-Track Procedure 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (C) The government decision to (a) deliver the draft 
budget to the COR during the current session and, (b) under a 
fast-track procedure, attracted a good deal of controversy. 
Parliament is currently in a lame-duck session.  Elections 
will take place in the fall, likely in early November, and 
many current MPs are expected to lose their seats.  The last 
time the government submitted its draft (two-year) budget 
(covering 2005-06) was in February 2005 and the COR took some 
five months to review, amend and finally pass it.  Many 
observers inside and outside of parliament viewed the 
submission of the budget to the COR as an attempt by the 
government to avoid a bruising budget battle with the next 
parliament, which will likely be more oppositionist in nature 
and less familiar with budget processes than the current 
parliament.  According to MP Sharif Othman, the new 
parliament will take months to settle on its leadership and 
committee memberships, and consideration of the budget would 
 
MANAMA 00001214  002 OF 003 
 
 
be significantly delayed.  He noted that in 2005, planning 
for capital projects was disrupted because of the budget 
process. 
 
¶5.  (C) Vice Chairman of the COR Finance and Economy 
Committee Jasim Abdul Aal told Pol/Econ Chief that he has 
mixed reactions to the government's approach to the budget. 
On the one hand, he recognizes that use of fast-track results 
in greater power in the hands of the government at the 
expense of the parliament, and could serve as a precedent for 
future budget submissions.  On the other hand, he admits that 
the draft budget has elements of an election year budget, 
complete with additions in funding for social programs that 
current MPs will be able to claim credit for during their 
campaigns. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
Ministers of Defense, Interior, Face Questioning 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶6.  (C) The budgets of the Ministries of Defense and Interior 
were a focus area for the COR.  (Note:  We will report an 
analysis of the budget septel.)  The Ministry of Defense's 
two-year budget totals BD 400 million (just over $1 billion), 
some ten percent of the total budget.  Several Shia MPs 
questioned the need for such a large budget, asking, "Where 
is the threat?" and asserting that the U.S. military would 
defend Bahrain.  (Comment:  Although he is an unusually blunt 
speaker, even Defense Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al 
Khalifa could not say publicly that the threat is Iran.) 
Shia MPs also questioned Shaikh Khalifa about the Ministry's 
hiring practices, asking why there are so few Shias in the 
Ministry and Bahrain Defense Force.  In this case, his 
bluntness won out.  According to Abdul Aal, Shaikh Khalifa 
replied that some citizens are not loyal to Bahrain, and this 
influences the Ministry's hiring decisions.  In the end, the 
Defense budget remained largely intact.  MPs voted to shave 
BD 3 million from the 2007 budget and BD 2 million from the 
2008 budget. 
 
¶7.  (C) The debate over the Interior Ministry budget was 
quite different.  Abdul Aal told Emboffs that Interior 
Minister Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa was very open 
and transparent in his responses to questions from the 
deputies.  As a result, the COR voted to increase the MOI 
two-year budget from BD 100 million to BD 145 million. 
Shaikh Rashid justified the increase by saying that he had 
embarked on a process to replace (Sunni) foreigners from the 
ranks of MOI persnnel with Bahrainis.  He stated that for 
every 5 expats he lays off, he must hire 100 Bahrainis to 
get the job done, thus the need for the increase. 
 
-------------------------- 
Verbal Jabs Yield o Blows 
-------------------------- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) uring debate over the full budget on July 1, Shia 
MP and Vice Chairman of the Legislative CommitteeAbdullah Al 
Aali complained about the Defense Minstry's employment of 
naturalized (Sunni) Bahrains (mostly of Yemeni, Syrian, 
Jordanian, and Pakitani origin).  Al Aali said these 
"mercenaries" re "sucking up our country's limited resources 
and are getting jobs, housing, education and medical 
treatment while our people are finding it hard to live." 
(Note:  This is a frequent complaint of Shia politicians and 
activists.)  Speaker Khalifa Al Dhahrani and other MPs told 
him to "shut up" but he continued shouting.  Al Dhahrani then 
suspended the meeting. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Al Aali and the outspoken and virulently 
anti-American Salafi MP Shaikh Mohammed Khalid argued about 
Al Aali's comments as they filed out of the chamber, 
escalating into cursing one another, according to the press. 
Khalid told Al Aali not to raise his voice, "like you do in 
the matam," a Shia religious community center.  Shia MP Jasim 
Al Muwali then joined the fray, calling Khalid a donkey.  Al 
Muwali ended up punching Khalid under the eye.  A scuffle 
broke out with several other MPs pushing and shoving one 
another.  When the session resumed, Al Muwali publicly 
apologized to Khalid.  July 2 dailies printed a photo of 
Khalid holding an icepack to his cheek.  A July 5 cartoon 
 
MANAMA 00001214  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
showed a man in athletic clothes working out with a punching 
bag while his friend asks, "I don't understand... what does 
your candidacy in the elections have to do with boxing?"  COR 
Second Deputy Vice Chairman Abdul Hadi Marhoon was 
hospitalized July 3 with a possible heart attack brought on 
by the stress of the sessions. 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
¶10.  (C) In the evolution of the balance of power between 
Bahrain's executive and legislative branches, the 
government's decision to submit the draft budget to a 
lame-duck parliament under the fast-track procedure 
undoubtedly resulted in the government seizing greater 
control over the budget process at the expense of the 
legislature.  However, given the circumstances related to the 
coming elections and the government beefing up funding for 
social services, current MPs willing went along with this 
tactic while scoring some marginal points related to the 
budgets of the Ministries of Defense and Interior.  Future 
budget battles promise to be much more difficult as a result 
of the next parliament's relative inexperience in the budget 
process and the likelihood of a greater number of 
oppositionists in the COR. 
 
 
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